February 27, 2026 SBE Meeting

Event

February 27, 2026

9:00 am

Location

Davy Crockett Tower 1st Floor Conference Room 1A 500 James Robertson Parkway Nashville, TN 37243 Livestream link: bit.ly/4bU7ZdE

Video

Agenda

Welcome & Introductions

I. Public Comments

II. Consent Items

A. Adoption of Agenda

B. Minutes from November 21, 2025 Meeting

C. School Board Training Advisory Committee Member Removal
Item to remove a member of the committee due to no longer
serving in the role of a governing body member.

III. Report Items

A. State Board of Education Member Reports
Various Board Members will share information about participation in regional stakeholder engagement activities and committee meetings that have occurred since the last meeting of the Board.

B. Accountability Hearings Report
Report item detailing the State Board’s Accountability Hearings schedule and information on providing public comment.

C. Local Education Agency (LEA) Compliance Report 2025-26
Report item of annual report of data pertinent to LEA compliance.

D. Fiscal Accountability Standards Report
Report item verifying that funds generated in the state’s K-12 education funding formula are being budgeted for eligible expenses, inclusive of any legal requirements that restrict fund usage.

E. Annual Alternative Education Report for School Year 2024-25
Report item on the state of alternative education in the state of Tennessee.

IV. Consent Items: Teacher Licensure Actions

A. Licensure Discipline Settlement Approvals
An item to approve settlements on licensure actions as recommended by State Board attorneys.

B. Automatic Teacher Licensure Actions: Revocation, Permanent Revocation, & Prohibition
Item to approve automatic licensure revocation actions as recommended by State Board attorneys.

C. Teacher Licensure Discipline Actions

1. David Beckman – Suspension, 6 Months with Professional Development

2. Zeb Bulla – Denial

3. Charles Bumpus – Suspension, 1 Year with Professional Development

4. Whitney Dyer – Formal Reprimand with Professional Development

5. F. Samuel Freeman – Formal Reprimand

6. LaQuisha Hurt – Denial with Stipulations

7. Tammy Parchman – Suspension, 2 Months Retroactive with Professional Development

V. Action Items (First Reading)
Note: Redlines reflect changes proposed on first reading ONLY.

A. Standards for School Administered Child Care Program Rules 0520-12-01
First reading of item to update the rules to better align with current best practices by reclassifying the rule as a rule of the State Board in Chapter 0520-01-26, updating the requirements for ratios and group sizes for specific populations, updating immunization requirements as defined by the Department of Health, adding the ability to use “e-licensing” when completing annual reports and initial applications, and streamlining the rules by removing general recommendations that would be more appropriately addressed in Department-created guidance documents.
Redline

B. Repeal Standards for School Administered Child Care Program Rules 0520-12-01
First reading to repeal the Standards for School Administered Child Care Program Rules 0520-12-01. This rule will move to the State Board of Education and has been significantly revised.

C. School and Student Health Services Rules 0520-01-13
First reading of item to revise the School and Student Health Services Rules to align with Chapter 346 of the Public Acts of 2025 which authorizes and encourages each school in an LEA and public charter school to keep a bronchodilator rescue inhaler in the school so that a bronchodilator rescue inhaler may be administered to a student believed to be having asthma symptoms or in respiratory distress in an emergency situation.
Redline

D. Educator Preparation Clinical Experiences Rule 0520-02-04-.10
First reading of item to revise the rule to allow certain programs that are subject to TDOE monitoring to serve as clinical practice sites for Birth – Kindergarten endorsements. The item also proposes changes to delineate school-based clinical mentor requirements between public and non-public settings.
Redline

E. District and School Improvement Planning Policy 2.101
First reading of revisions to the District and School Improvement Planning Policy to align with Chapter 1005 of the Public Acts of 2024.
Redline

F. Educator Licensure Policy 5.502
First reading of item to revise the endorsements section by adding equivalent Postsecondary Educator endorsements to align with the Middle and Secondary Grades – Core Academic and Middle and Secondary Grades – World Languages endorsements.
Redline

G. Uniform Grading Policy 3.301
First reading of item to update the percentage points awarded in calculating semester grade averages for dual enrollment courses to align with changes previously made to the Uniform Grading System Rule 0520-01-03-.02.
Redline

H. Approved High School Courses Policy 3.205
First reading of item to update course names and offerings based on school, local education agency (LEA), and Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) questions and feedback. Other edits to support public transparency and clarity across related policies.
Redline

I. 2029-30 Tennessee English Language Arts (ELA) Standards
First reading of proposed K-12 ELA standards, following two rounds of public feedback, two rounds of expert educator committee revisions, and final recommendations from a gubernatorially and legislatively appointed committee of education and workforce professionals.
Executive Summary

J. Graduation Requirements Rule 0520-01-03-.06
First reading of item to revise courses required for graduation by increasing elective credits and reducing the number of required world language credits from two to one. This item also requires districts to use High School and Beyond Plans when selecting elective courses and encourages use of dual enrollment courses.
Redline

VI: Action Items (Final Reading)
Note: Redlines reflect changes proposed between first and final reading ONLY. For changes proposed and approved on first reading, please refer to the relevant agenda item from a previous meeting.

A. Organization and Administration of Schools Rule 0520-01-02-.31
Final reading of item to revise the rule by removing provisions already found in state law, and recently simplified in a department clean-up bill (Chapter 235 of the Public Acts of 2025), regarding stockpile day accumulations and usage as well as specific class size requirements and replace them with references to the applicable reference to the Tennessee Code Annotated to ensure consistency with current state law. The revisions simplify a district’s ability to use their stockpile days for the approved purposes. There have been no changes to this item since first reading.

B. Coordinated School Health Policy 4.204
Final reading of item to update language in the policy to reflect the current practices and needs of school districts to enhance student health. This policy helps districts understand their need to have the plan that is now tied to TISA. There have been no changes to this item since first reading.

C. Health Education Standards: Tennessee Lifetime Wellness Standards: Grades 9-12
Final reading of item that proposes new standards for the 2026-27 school year to ensure that students are instructed in the Success Sequence in accordance with Chapter 224 of the Public Acts of 2025 and the protections established in §§ 36-1- 142 and 68-11-255 for the voluntary surrender of an unharmed infant by the infant’s mother without criminal liability, commonly known as the state’s safe haven law, in accordance with Chapter 164 of the Public Acts of 2025. There have been changes to this item since first reading.
Redline

D. Educator Preparation Policy 5.504
Final reading of item to revise the policy so that it provides candidates in an internship or job-embedded clinical practice the ability to complete requirements in adjacent school years provided that certain requirements are met. There have been no changes to this item since first reading.

E. Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy 5.105
Final reading of item to revise the policy’s Specialty Area Content Assessments section to add titles for National Evaluation Series assessments to Tennessee licensure endorsements so that qualifying (passing) scores on these assessments will help fulfill licensure assessment requirements for applicable endorsement areas. There have been no changes to this item since first reading.

F. Graduation Permissions and Substitutions Policy 3.103
Final reading of item to clarify which graduation requirements are eligible for selection and substitution and the corresponding courses that may be selected and substituted based on existing practices. Also, it introduces language connecting substitution decisions to students’ postsecondary and career interests. There have been changes to this item since first reading.
Redline

G. Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs) and Specialty Area Programs (SAPs) Approvals
First and final reading of item to provide action recommendations for EPPs and SAPs for existing EPPs. This item includes recommendations for Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech University, Aquinas College, Knox County EPP, Teach for America (TFA)-Memphis, and LeMoyne-Owen College.